The Not-so-Bright Stars of this World Cup.

Ivan Rakitic : We have had rumours, of how disappointed Messi was with Rakitic when he first arrived in Barcelona, of him not being upto the standards. Its a testament to the hard work he has put in, that not only have the rumours stopped but even his value in the market has increased. His standards have risen (whose wouldn't, playing at Barcelona) and that has been on show in this World Cup. His knack of being at the right place at the right time, great positioning skill relieving pressure off his defence and linking up with his team's creative force and his ability to deliver the right pass at the right time has been really good, if not phenomenal. With 5 key passes in this World Cup, his best performance this World Cup came in the thrashing of the Argentinians 3-0. While his country's more illustrious player, Luka Modric may have stolen the show that day, he was the heartbeat of the Croatian midfield. With a goal, and duels won percentage of 77% and not being disposed off the ball even once (WOW!) during the game, it was a performance par none.

Eyes only for the ball.